HEAD START CENTER DESIGN GUIDE

This chapter provides suggestions regarding furnishings and equipment for a center, and includes references to applicable codes and regulations.

8.1 General Criteria

Refer to 45 CFR 1304.53(b)(1) for Head Start Performance Standards concerning equipment and furniture for Head Start centers.

GSA suggests the following general criteria for center furnishings and equipment:

• Child-scale for child use.
• Adult-scale for adult use.
• Safe.
• Easily cleaned.
• Adaptable, flexible, movable.
• Dual purpose, where appropriate.
• Stackable or hangable, if possible.
• Not institutional in appearance.
• Soft and comfortable, when appropriate.
• Constructed of natural materials. Furnishings should contain minimal amounts of formaldehyde and other chemicals, which may affect children, particularly those with allergies.
• Texture-rich.
• Color schemes that are calm, soothing, and coordinated.

Furnishings and equipment within a center should meet all applicable codes and standards. The following criteria for play equipment for children, is also available for reference:

• Consumer Product Safety Commission standards.
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for Juvenile Products, including the following standards:
  • Chairs with high sides or foam nests for infant feeding - ASTM F- 404.
  • Cribs - ASTM F-966 and ASTM F-1169.
  • Carriages/strollers - ASTM F-833.
  • Gates/enclosures - ASTM F-406.
  • Hook-on chairs - ASTM F1235.
  • Toy safety - ASTM F-963.

GSA recommends evacuation cribs for all infants and young toddlers in the ratio of one for every four children. These special cribs must be of durable construction, be narrow enough to pass through a 3-ft.-wide door, and have sturdy caster wheels approximately 4 inches in diameter, which allow one person to easily roll the cribs over different indoor/outdoor surfaces. The evacuation crib should have the capability of supporting and transporting a minimum of five 18-month-old children weighing a total of 121 lbs. Evacuation cribs should be placed close to the exit in the sleeping rooms. They also may function as standard sleeping cribs.

8.1.1 Storage

GSA advises that adequate storage space, which is easily accessible and near at hand, should be provided for items such as carriages and strollers, wheeled toys, and cots or mats for pre-school classrooms. In the initial design process, the designer should elicit the number and approximate size of the equipment to be stored.

Storage within the classrooms should be adequate to allow the classroom to appear uncluttered when occupied and to meet functional needs. A combination of low open shelving, baskets, drawers, cabinets with doors, boxes, chests, hooks that do not present a hazard, adult-height shelves, wall-hung cabinets, storage bags, buckets, crates and bins may be used.

8.1.2 Flammability Codes and Standards

All textiles and upholstered components should comply with the applicable interior finish requirements stated in the Head Start Program Performance Standards, and any other local or state standards that apply. In addition, compliance with the following is strongly suggested:

8.1.3 Upholstered Furniture

GSA suggests that the furniture meet the following criteria:

• NFPA 260: Pass.
• Consumer Product Safety Commission, FF-4-72 (mattresses and pads): Pass.
• NFPA 260: Class I -Draperies, Curtains, Banners, Canvas, Decorative Hangings.
• NFPA-701 (small and large scale): Pass.

8.1.4 Chemicals

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): Carpets should be tested for VOCs and bear a green label from the Carpet and Rug Institute indicating that the carpet emissions are within the acceptable range.
• Formaldehyde: Products should contain less than 0.05 parts per million (ppm) of formaldehyde. Any product purchased with formaldehyde levels above 0.05 ppm should bear a label in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1048.

8.1.5 Safety

Shelving, table tops, and counters should have 1/2-inch rounded edges. Furnishings in children's areas that are 3 ft. high or higher should be secured in place. Local codes may require all large furnishings to be secured in place. Mirrors should be shatterproof and constructed of safety glass, acrylic, or reflective metal.

8.1.6 Storage Units

Storage units for the children must be visible, accessible, and easy to use. Units may be dual purpose, serving as space dividers, as well as storage. They may be movable with locking casters, except where local codes prohibit, and should be designed to prevent climbing. Shelving open on both sides creates an uncluttered, light appearance. Sometimes it is desirable to place a back on a shelving unit. Units with unattractive backing that does not integrate with the rest of the storage unit should not be purchased.

8.1.7 Seating

Adult seating in the infant and toddler classroom should be soft and comfortable and provide a place where teachers can nurture children. GSA recommends that child-scaled seating include upholstered or exposed frame chairs, foam cubes, carpeted constructed seating, or cushions and pillows. To avoid suffocation, beanbag pillows should not be used for infants.

8.1.8 Tables and Chairs

Tables and chairs should be scaled to the child. GSA suggests that the table height for infants should be approximately 12 inches; for toddlers, 16 inches; and for pre-school children, 20 inches. Chair seating height for toddlers should be 10 inches and for pre-school children, 12 inches. Infants and toddlers require high-sided chairs. Seating should have backs and arms with a seat height of approximately 8 to 12 inches for pre-kindergarten children. Work surfaces or tables should have appropriate knee clearance for children in wheelchairs and shall be 24 inches above the finished floor, 24 inches deep, and 30 inches wide. Top surface height should be a maximum of 2 inches higher than knee clearance. Adjustable height is preferred.

8.1.9 Countertops

Countertops should be approximately 18 inches above the finished floor for toddlers and 20 inches above the floor for pre-school children. Counter depth should be 18 to 20 inches when accessed from only one side. Counters that children can access from both sides encourage socialization and should not be less than 24 inches deep.